Our history

1978

David Morley and Dr Hugh Hawes, respectively a paediatrician and professor at the Institute of Child Health and an educationist at the Institute of Education, conceived the idea of children working together with other children to bring about change.The Deputy-President of the World Health Organisation presided over an inaugural meeting which brought together Pr Morley, Dr Hawes and others interested in developing and disseminating Child to Child’s approaches.

A commitment was made to spread Child to Child resources copyright-free.

1979

International Year of the Child.

First major Child to Child project: the Little Teacher Programme in Botswana.

1983

1984

Translation of Child to Child materials into French, to promote implementation of Child to Child activities in Francophone countries.

1986

Creation of the Centre for Research and Development to promote Child to Child activities in India.

1988

Establishment of the Child-to-Child Trust, with a 3-year grant from the UK Ministry of Overseas Development and an annual funding support from UNICEF.

1989

Adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child at the United Nations – entry into force the next year.

Establishment of the Arab Resource Collective to develop and expand Child to Child activities across the Arab World.

Introduction by Save the Children of Child to Child activities into primary schools in Nepal.

1990

Establishment of the first Niño a Niño organisation in Central America, in Mexico, soon to be followed by Ecuador.

1993

Establishment of a National Task Force on Child to Child in Kenya.

First edition of Children for Health, which has been translated in numerous languages including, Arabic, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Hindi, Portuguese and Spanish.

1994

Launch of a comprehensive Child to Child School Health Promotion programme in India (SEHAT). This initiative was later on emulated in Pakistan.

First time the Child to Child approach is taught as part of the Teachers Training curriculum in Uganda.

First-known use of Child to Child activities in refugee camps in Bhutan and Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo).

22 500 children reached as part of a Child to Child project in Sierra Leone that focussed on sanitation and malaria, in the midst of the civil war.

1999

Launch of a Child to Child Mine Awareness Programme in Kosovo.

2000

First child-centred programme addressing the issues faced by children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in Kenya and Uganda.

Launch of a Child to Child programme in Lewisham, South London.

2004

Reception of a Comic Relief UK grant to support the development of four regional Child to Child resource groups (the Arab Resource Centre Lebanon, the CHETNA India, the Health Action School Pakistan and the KANCO Kenya).

2007

Commission by UNICEF to develop an Early Childhood Education programme, piloted in 6 countries. Find out more here.